Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia has completely and utterly enamoured me in a matter of a few seconds. Every major city has a way of charming me with the many different sides of its personality- here I have found something especially unique…the hip, artsy, modern yet rustic town bustling with young artists, sports-mad fans, the most cultured yet most politically conservative town, filled with an impressive diverse array of cuisine, boutique bars, several shopping centres, all the while harboring innumerable hidden treasures. You will find several things on one city block- a rich and detailed history, Victorian-era architecture, gorgeous parks and gardens, and charming forms of public transportation including trams, trolleys, streetcars, and horse drawn carriages set against the backdrop of cathedrals, and oak trees that only exist in the Southern Hemisphere because they have not been subjected to pests and chemicals (helpful hint- don’t try to get a taxi in Melbourne because the drivers generally are not from Australia and as a result, unfortunately do not know their way around!)
I wouldn’t recall any of this because the last time I was in Melbourne I had a full body rash as an allergic reaction to a tattoo I recently got- and my poor sister had a concussion from a trip to the Great Barrier Reef gone wrong. So- what do I recall of Melbourne? Um, the hotel room, the VERY COOL Little House on the Prairie moment when a cute, old male doctor came to our hotel room complete with a small black bag, the chemist a.k.a pharmacist where I found the world’s best anti-itch secret… a creme called Diprosone which only exists in Australia and I am clamoring to get another prescription for it.. I swear, whatever is in this stuff- is magic! And oh yea, I also saw Target which was right across the street from our hotel. Needless to say, the last time I was here was not a proper introduction to this spectacular city, so, that’s why I decided to come back and really give myself the time to see it.
My first week was fantastic! I felt brand new to the city, I was functioning on a normal person’s schedule- asleep before 10 pm and up between 6-8 am.. for those of you who know me well- those are hours that I just do not function during, so, the jolt into normal people hours was actually quite nice; it allowed me to catch as much daylight as possible and shoot all day until the sun went down around 5. It’s hard to consider that it is winter time here- because it was sunny nearly everyday with small sprinkles and bouts of rain, but, at a constant 50-55 degrees, I felt like I had found a little piece of my own personal paradise- sunny and cold weather as the backdrop to a city where I could explore everyday to my heart’s content and still not see it all.
As I walked around as much as I could to familiarise myself with the city, I often found hidden alleyways that led me down what seemed like secret Scooby-Doo passageways directly into Europe! My favourite passageway was near the famous Flinders Street Station- a small street called DeGraves street. I was just walking around trying to find interesting things to shoot and found that I was instantly transported back to Italy or even France in the narrow, yet bustling alleyways filled with little cafes, restaurants, soup bars, and coffee shops. I even found a cupcake shop on that street☺ I was delighted when they let me shoot in there as tiny as it was- and then felt like a maniac bringing out my mini reflector, flash, softbox, and styling the cupcakes and teapot over and over again to get the money shot ☺ I stopped caring after a bit- but, I hate looking or feeling like a tourist- cardinal sin in my book.
At the end of each day, I reflected on how Melbourne provided me several different sides of its eclectic personality- from the restorative and peaceful Fitzroy Gardens, to the Euro-fabulous DeGraves Street, to Sushi on every single corner (more than fast food restaurants) to the architectural beauty that is Flinders Street Station, to the café culture Mecca/Italian part of Melbourne- Lygon Street- I found myself adapting and settling into the groove of Melbourne and adoring every second of it.
Lygon Street-I've seen this paint and brick wall all over- but looks cool to me with the door next to it, no?
Tram near the ACMI with Flinders Street Station in the background
Flinders Street Station
Interesting architecture @ Melbourne Central Train Station
Woman riding the free City Circle tram
DeGraves Street
Quite possibly the coolest graffiti corner I've encountered..hiding on DeGraves Street
Little Cupcakes Cupcake shop... yum!
Gotta admit, this is the money shot I was going for with the cupcakes :)
Horse-drawn carriage in the middle of Melbourne
Trees proving to me its the Winter time! Does this remind anyone else of the game King's Quest? I think.. King's Quest IV where Rosella has to go into the forest?!
Gorgeous leaf in the Conservatory of Fitzroy Gardens
Leaf with purple in it, oh yea! : ) @ Fitzroy Gardens
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